CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has raised serious questions over procedural lapses and deviation from government directives in the vetting of detailed project reports (DPRs) for the `335.42 crore branch surface water channel (BSWC) drainage project in Cuttack.
A division bench comprising Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh has sought clarifications from the principal secretary of Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department over glaring irregularities in the preparation and review process of DPRs for five major branch storm water drains.
The court questioned why the private project management consultancy (PMC) firm submitted hydraulic designs to VSSUT, Burla, for vetting instead of IIT-Bhubaneswar, despite a clear government directive issued via letter on May 30, 2025. This directive followed a technical review meeting chaired by the chief engineer-cum-additional secretary, H&UD department, on April 30.
The bench further noted that during a video interaction with government officials on July 23, the city engineer of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) defended the decision to approach VSSUT, citing its expertise and prior experience. The PMC also claimed previous successful collaborations with VSSUT.
However, the court observed that no explanation had been sought from the city engineer for ignoring the government’s instruction to consult IIT-Bhubaneswar. It also questioned the veracity of claims made by the city engineer regarding VSSUT’s prior vetting of DPRs for similar drainage projects. The secretary of the H&UD department has been directed to file an affidavit addressing these issues and provide details of other similar projects vetted by VSSUT, and their current status. The matter will be heard next on September 18.